cassius clay

According to reports Ernie Terrell, who once held the WBA portion of the heavyweight title, tragically passed away on Tuesday at the age of 75. Terrell is best known for sustaining a 15-round thrashing at the hands of Muhammad Ali, however, like many heavyweights who fought “The Greatest”, Terrell has his own unique story.

Every legend has a starting point, and for Muhammad Ali it occurred during his final fight as Cassius Clay. Fifty years ago today the butterfly sprouted its wings and the bee pulled off its first big sting.

Fifty years ago on Feb. 25, 22-year-old Cassius Clay upset heavily favored heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. Tom Gray looks back at five fights which were instrumental in creating the elite level contender who “shook up the world.”

The gloves Muhammad Ali wore when he beat Sonny Liston to win his first heavyweight world title were purchased by an anonymous buyer for $836,500 on Saturday at Heritage Auctions’ Sports Platinum Night Auction, according to the AFP.